(Written for the International Choral Bulletin of the International Federation of Choral Music) I was asked to write about inclusion. It is impossible to overstate the importance of understanding our inconvenient assumptions that keep us from involving men and women who are incarcerated in the arts as well as in our lives. I am who […]
Our friends at Chorus Connection have created an excellent primer on the various forms of possible Federal aid currently available. We recommend you start here if you need an overview: https://blog.chorusconnection.com/new-pandemic-relief-funding-for-your-chorus This post summarizes a couple of key issues that some organizations are facing as they make time-sensitive decisions on which path to follow. The situation […]
For us here in Minnesota, it’s important to show our guests a good time and we hate to see them leave. That’s one of the reasons why we scheduled our Transgender Voices Festival in the middle of April, just in time for our best, largest blizzard of the season to shut down the airport, and […]
The following text is from Donna Red Wing’s keynote address at the 1995 GALA Leadership Conference (now the GALA Symposium) in St. Louis, MO. Donna spent over three decades in the limelight as a cultural warrior battling homophobia, but she lost the battle with cancer on April 16th. She will be sorely missed. The writer […]
The titular phrase is near and dear to many, if not all, of us. Holly Near penned a song by this name while on her way to the candlelight vigil for Harvey Milk in November, 1978. It was performed that night by thousands, including the 4-week old San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. Every time a […]
We find ourselves in a moment of great political change. As visible, vocal members of our communities, GALA Choruses are uniquely positioned to be forces for justice, solidarity, and hope. But how can can we actively engage in advocacy, while remaining focused on our missions? How can we engage with the political realities of our times without putting our […]
LGBT arts in South Florida will be the focus of a new, two-year initiative called, Converging Crossroads. Led by the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida, this collaborative effort brings together three of the state’s notable LGBT cultural organizations for creative programming that builds audiences and visibility for LGBT arts. The program is being funded […]